CRD04Round Vinhais

O Tour de Vinhais

This is the queen route of the road network. It is not a long loop — it is the complete circuit: 171.7 kilometres embracing the entire concelho and bringing together in a single journey the rural south, the Zona da Lomba, the high mountain terrain of Pinheiro Velho and Pinheiro Novo, the border road of Moimenta and the Serra da Coroa, with around 4,500 metres of accumulated climbing. It is a black-graded route, the most demanding in the network, for those seeking a major full-day cycle-touring challenge. It requires preparation, self-sufficiency and careful effort management.

Start and finish in Vinhais

The route is circular and begins and ends at the Porta de Vinhais, at the Interface de Transportes, heading south: in the first six kilometres the road descends more than 250 metres to the Tuela, passing through Ermida at kilometre 4.4, before climbing around 450 metres to kilometre 12.

The south of the concelho

Penhas Juntas, at kilometre 17.5, with a café and fountain; Agrochão, at kilometre 24.2, with fuel pumps; and Ervedosa, at kilometre 29.3, with a church, pillory and café, are the villages of the south. The Praia Fluvial de Soutilha and the Café Beira Rio, at kilometre 33.6, in the realm of the Minas de Ervedosa, mark the lowest point of the day at 344 metres.

The sanctuaries and Curopos

The Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Saúde, at kilometre 41.4, and Curopos, at kilometre 46.4, with fountains and a café, provide the transition westwards. Between kilometres 34 and 48 the route climbs around 370 metres.

The Lomba link

From Rebordelo to Gestosa, the route crosses the entire Zona da Lomba, the plateau between the rivers Mente and Rabaçal: Vale de Armeiro, at kilometre 69.7, with the second lowest point of the day at 392 metres, at kilometre 71; São Jomil; Vilar de Lomba; Edral, at kilometre 81.7, with a café and hostel; and Passos de Lomba, at kilometre 89.7, with a café. This is the link that closes the circuit and gives the route its integral character.

High mountain terrain

Pinheiro Novo, at kilometre 102.2, with a fountain and community mill, and Pinheiro Velho, at kilometre 106.2, with a fountain, open the high mountain section. Seixas lies at kilometre 117.2, and Tuízelo, at kilometre 122.2, with a café, is the last point of support before the highest point of the day at 1,137 metres, reached at kilometre 131.4.

Moimenta and the Serra da Coroa

Moimenta, at kilometre 136.7, with toilets and the Museu do Contrabando, sits on the border road. Via Mofreita and Fresulfe the route reaches Santa Cruz, at kilometre 157.5, with a fountain, and Travanca, at kilometre 162.3, with a church and fountain, already within the Serra da Coroa, with the final climb reaching around 1,040 metres at kilometre 163. From there to Vinhais it is eight kilometres downhill. Those wishing to cover the same landscapes across two separate rides will find the Rota do Parque Natural de Montesinho and the Rota do Sul do Concelho, both red-graded.